Political science is, of course, the study of the science of politics, but not science like the biology kind. Instead, students in political science programs study the way governments, public policy, and the political world in general work from both a technical perspective and a more humanities-minded perspective. Students who major in political science often go on to work in policy analysis, for government agencies, as political consultants, and basically any field that interfaces with politics or government in any way.
Using the Cornell Transfer Option? Read This First.
Reading List for Columbia STEM Majors
Many colleges ask applicants to share a favorite book, but Columbia University is one of the only schools that wants students to share their whole reading list — and not the books assigned in school. As one of the most famous and rigorous liberal arts schools in the country, Columbia looks for students with high intellectual potential. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that one sign of an intellectual person is that they choose to read more than what they are given for homework.
How to Write the University of Chicago Supplement 2023-2024
The University of Chicago is a top-tier university in (surprise, surprise) Chicago, Illinois that is considered on par with the Ivy League. Many students applying to Harvard, Yale, and the like also apply to UChicago. The school attracts extremely high achievers who love academia and want to excel in a rigorous collegiate environment. They boast nearly 100 Nobel Laureates, more than 50 MacArthur Fellows, 27 Pulitzer Prize winners, and so many more award winners. The acceptance rate is 5.4%, and it is a test-optional school.
Brown Extracurricular Activities
You have a 4.3 and 1590 on the SAT. You might be asking yourself, can I get into Brown? We hear this question all the time and the answer is… maybe? Having great grades and scores is only the first step for elite colleges like Brown. You need more than that. One of the most important things you will need is great extracurriculars
Best Extracurriculars for Philosophy Majors
In the United States, roughly 70,000 students annually graduate with a bachelor’s degree in engineering. Only one-tenth of that, about 7,000 students, graduate with degrees in philosophy. Philosophy, or at least some form of it, is one of the original university programs dating back to the very origins of universities as we know them today. Universities were fundamentally guilds of scholars and teachers, and philosophers made up a sizable chunk of that. Compared to its origins, philosophy today is a tiny fraction of the university ecosystem.
How to Write A Unique Activities Section for the Common App
It’s time to talk about everyone’s least favorite and most annoying part of the Common App: the activities section. Why is it annoying? Well, first of all, they give you extremely limited space to talk about your extracurriculars. We’re talking less than half a tweet’s worth. Well, only if you’re a regular Twitter user and you don’t give Elon $8 a month, because then it’s like 1/100th of a tweet.
Reading List for Columbia Computer Science Majors
Columbia University has become notorious for asking applicants to list books that they’ve read not because that’s such a ridiculous request, but because they don’t also give you an opportunity to explain why it is you chose to read them. This has left many applicants scratching their heads, because how much can the application readers really learn from a list of titles and authors?
Should I Ask for Additional Letters of Recommendation?
You’ve done your whole Common App, written killer essays and supplements, and you’re ready to press submit. “…wait. Hold on. They’re saying I have the option to add two additional recommenders besides the required ones? I can ask two other people, like my dad’s friend who went here 20 years ago that I barely know, to write me letters of rec? Boy oh boy, what a day!”
Best Extracurriculars for Prospective Foreign Language Majors
If you’re a language person, you’re a language person. Some people aren’t language people, but those who enjoy learning languages, and who thrive in other cultures, should consider majoring in a foreign language in college. Mastery of a foreign language can lead to jobs in policy, in government, in education, in journalism, and even internationally.
Reading List for Columbia Humanities Majors
Columbia University is one of the few colleges that asks students to submit a list of books applicants have read outside of required in-class reading. They know you’ve been working — they have seen your transcript — but they still want to know what you’re doing when you’re off the books and no one is shoving a book in your hand followed by quizzes and papers and expectations.
MIT Legacy Strategy
"My student is a legacy at MIT so that will help them get in," is something we hear often from parents of the students we work with… and we always hate to tell them this, but no, actually it won't. The issue with this belief is that MIT admissions office doesn't look at legacy status.
Yale Extracurricular Activities for High School Students
So Yale is your dream school, but will you get in? A lot of our students are very nervous about their chances at schools like Yale. And we get why: it takes more than great grades and scores to get into Yale. If you are dreaming of Yale, you also need to have great extracurriculars. It isn’t always obvious what that might look like, so we wanted to break it down and give a real example of what the kind of student that gets into Yale looks like.
Best Extracurriculars for Prospective Environmental Science Majors
With climate change becoming increasingly difficult to ignore, studying environmental science in college has never been more popular among students who want to make a difference in the world. If you’re interested in becoming the next great environmental scientist, or even saving us from global warming, you’ll need to think carefully about how you present yourself in your college applications.
What Goes in the Additional Information Section of the Common App?
There are 24 subsections of the Common App, not including the dozens of other ones within the specific college apps themselves. Thankfully, most of them are straightforward, like activities, grades, testing, demographic data, etc. However, there is one section that seems to trip up even the most resolute high-achieving high school student: the additional information section.
How to Write an Amazing and Unique Common App Essay
The Best Extracurriculars for Art History Majors
Art history is, unsurprisingly, the study of the history of art. It’s also a popular college major offered by nearly every university. Despite the popularity of art history at the collegiate level, very few high school students have access to studying art history beyond a course or two (if that, even) in high school. This leaves students in a tough position — how do you differentiate yourself from other applicants when there won’t be much on your transcript to show your interest in art history?
Most Popular Majors at Yale
When going into the college application process, it’s important to think about majors. That might sound scary for students who don’t know what they want to study in college. That’s okay. Think about it this way: schools want to admit high-achieving students who are experts in a particular niche. We encourage our students to hone in on a very specific academic area and use that to apply to a particular program or major. (You can always change your mind about your major once you’re admitted!)
Reading List for Columbia Engineering Majors
Columbia University is one of the few colleges that asks applicants for a list of the books they’ve read, but that doesn’t also give you an opportunity to explain your choices. Instead, it’s a list devoid of additional context. Everything you have to say needs to be in the titles and authors, which means being strategic about what you include is critical.
The Best Extracurriculars for Business Majors
An increasing number of students we work with are even interested in majoring in business in college. It’s been a steep enough uptick that it’s impossible to ignore. Once upon a time, students interested in STEM wanted to go on to get a secure job at a big company. These days, that’s simply not the goal. Young people would rather work harder days and longer hours — but for themselves. And to give themselves the best chance of succeeding they know they need to understand the mechanics, economics, and even the psychology, of business.